Lost
by MoonCrown
Summary: You don't know if you are lost, or if you have lost something. Maybe you have never had something, or someone, to lose. Have someone maybe lost you? Perhaps, but you don't know. What is something or someone? You don't know that either. You don't know anything, but then again if you don't know anything, then it doesn't really matter if you are lost or not, does it?
1. Chapter 1

Suddenly you know you are awake, consciousness washing over you like a wave. It only takes half a second to take a deep breath and fill your lungs with fresh air. The sound of water drifting fills your ears and you also seem to hear some birds chirping in a distance.

With your newfound awareness you feel how the soft grass underneath you caresses the skin on your arms and legs. You also become aware of how very warm and comfortable the air is, which makes you smile a tiny bit. The smile is however replaced with a wince when you attempt to move your arms above your head to stretch; your entire body is extremely stiff. A soft breeze also makes you conscious of how very damp and cold your clothes are. The sudden chillness makes you turn to one side and curl your legs closer to your body with a shudder. Your body protests, but it's so cold! What happened to the warmth from before?

With a soft groan you decide to investigate and force your eyes open. Your eyes tears up at the sudden brightness and you have to blink several times before you can see clearly. With great effort you push yourself into sitting position and gaze at your surroundings.

You rub your eyes carefully while taking in the scenery.

A black river runs less than a meter in front of you. Startled you furrow your brows and you bring your legs closer to yourself; you don't want to be anywhere near that water with your feet. Confounded you notice that except for the river, you are entirely surrounded by a very green, yet very dark forest. The deeper you look into the forest the more convinced you become that something not very pleasant is lurking there. A small shred of fear starts to grow in your stomach and you decide that it is probably a good idea to move from here.

Using all your strength you stand up on shaky legs and starts walking by the riverbanks.


	2. Chapter 2

You had ignored it at first, how sharp stones and dried twigs had scraped and pierced your bare feet, but it became harder and harder to do so by the second. You almost gave out a scream when you accidently stepped on a particularly unstable and sharp stone at the size of your fist, but at the last moment you bit your tongue and swallowed the sound. You stopped walking for a moment to suck in air. The skin on your feet had fortunately not broken, but you couldn't deny it anymore, your feet hurt.

While standing still, you lifted your head towards the sun. It had become warmer during your walk, but sometimes clouds covered the shining light above you and the air immediately grew colder. You don't want it to become colder, you rather enjoy the warmth. You sigh as you drop your head and embrace your upper body with your arms trying to warm yourself up, or perhaps to make yourself feel a bit safer? You're not sure.

You start to walk again. The pain is not gone even a little bit, but you are convinced that it somehow is necessary. You don't know where your strong resolution comes from and you don't care, all you want is to get out of this forsaken forest and away from that horrible river.

You are wearing two pieces of garments. The most apparent one is the white dress that covers your shoulders and falls until it reaches just above your knees. Underneath the dress you wear a pair of very tight and short pants that reaches halfway down your thighs. They were still damp and extremely uncomfortable to walk in, and it was beginning to be more than just a small nuisance. At this point it would probably be easier to just continue without them.

You hold that thought a little while. The dress had dried while you had been walking, maybe you _should _take off the shorts? _Yes_, you think, _it would be nice if they were dry_.

Without a second thought you hold up the end of the dress with your mouth and try to pry the pants off you. It is harder than you anticipated and you nearly trip over when you needlessly try to push them down your legs without unbuttoning them first. Your fingers fumble with the small buttons and you are slightly annoyed that you can't see what you are doing because of the dress. Calming down you finally manage to take them off, but as you reach down to pick them up you discover, in a not so very pleasant way, that you still were standing on it. You barely suppress a shriek when you lose your balance and crash to the ground.

You didn't, however, suppress your shriek when you saw an arrow shot just above you, almost gracing your hair.

You did not need another initiative to start running.


	3. Chapter 3

Crawl, duck, run, but never stand still. Everything hurts, but you keep on moving. The arrow had come from the forest slightly behind you, right? You look behind you; nothing is there but trees and branches. Your left foot stumble on a big rock, you bite down the scream. Some of your toenails had almost gotten torn off, but you ignore it, the fear of getting hit by an arrow stronger than the pain. Tears are prickling your eyes and your sight becomes somewhat blurry. You blink furiously to clear your vision again; you don't want to die because of a rock!

You look at your right, maybe you should run into the forest? That's where the arrow came from, but surely it is harder to fire an arrow if the target is running between trees?

You throw a look behind your shoulder. There was nothing there. You inhale deeply before plunging yourself into an opening in the forest.

Suddenly it's very cool, the leaves are thick and the light barely reaches the ground. You twist and turn every time you think you hear something or see something move. Panic is slowly growing inside of you. The lack of space is suffocating and not being able to see your attacker is terrifying.

You don't understand. What is it you don't understand? You don't understand the forest or the river. You don't understand the pain you are feeling in your chest as you breathe and you most certainly don't understand the water coming from your eyes. Have you broken somewhere? Are your eyes about to burst? To your horror the thought and fear of losing your eyes made your eyes leak even more.

Your legs give in under you and you put your hands in front of yourself to soften the fall. You look at your legs and you simply _don't understand. _While you were running it had felt as if they were burning, yet now they look completely normal.

Something rustles behind you. You turn your head at the sound, but nothing is there.

You stand up again, ignoring your shaky legs.

The same rustle is heard again, no wait, there wasn't just one this time. You try to look around but all you see are bushes and trees an-…

You scream.


	4. Chapter 4

Elwion Stumblefoot hated his nickname. It was hardly a fitting name for an elf, he thought, for even though he was a bit clumsier than the average _elf _he was hardly _actually _clumsy. Of course something like that hardly mattered when everyone around you were in fact graceful elves, or simply _not _clumsy elves. That was why Elwion much enjoyed watching other races, in particular –this was a well-kept secret he never would confess out loud –dwarfs. Of course he had had not seen many dwarfs since the fall of Erebor, and to be honest – yet another thing he would never ever confess –he even missed the short folk sometimes.

Since Elwion was often teased by the other elves (and much older elves he thought sourly to himself) he much preferred to be alone. Now this was a bit of an issue while living in Mirkwood these dark days, since it was never safe to be alone in the woods, but sometimes the young elf simply did not care. The others could just blame it on his impulsiveness as an _elfling, _he thought, since they enjoyed calling him such all the time. The embarrassment was almost unbearable, was it not enough they insisted on calling him Stumblefoot?! He was well over 400 year old already; he was hardly an efling anymore.

This particular day was one of those days when it actually became unbearable, even more so than usually, and in a fit of rage (which only made his comrades laugh) he simply turned around from the training field and (rather gracelessly, much to the amusement of the others) made his way home.

To be fair his comrades and the others elves in the King's Halls did not know how their mild teasing affected their friend, nor were they aware of his lonely (and dangerous) ventures in the dark forest. In their eyes he was still the youngest of all of them and he was very dear to them, but he was also unusually_ open_ for an elf and his reactions were so guileless and honest they could not help themselves. Young ones were scarce in what once was called the Greenwood Forest, and they did not want him to change.

This, of course, was of no comfort for Elwion when he went to fetch his bow and arrows. He almost blamed the items themselves for forgetting them before he left for the training grounds. Stumblefoot and elfling were quite enough, he did not fancy being called _forgetful_ as well.

The only thing he had to comfort him was the fact that despite being called Stumblefoot, he still always managed to slip passed the guards and scouts unnoticed (albeit with great effort and less than ungainly moves). He was also very smug about it, but obviously he could not tell anyone or his rare moments of solitude would come to an end. Knowing this made it, without a doubt, easier to stand the teasing but still it would have been nice for someone else to also acknowledge it. He was an elf after all, and pride is a trait that was widely shared amongst his race. It did not help at all that his infamous clumsiness seemed to come forth every time someone was there to see. He sighed to himself as he realized it was not strange at all that people thought of him as a Stumblefoot, for it was only when he was alone he became fairly elegant. _All the better reason to be alone then, _he thought as he once again slid passed the boarders of safety.

When he reached the black river he knew that he had gone too far. Many spiders had their nests near the dark water and he knew it was unsafe even in broad daylight. He stayed near the riverbank but kept hidden in the nearest trees. He was just about to turn around and head back when he saw her.

She was tiny, was the first thought that came to mind as he stared at the small frame waking up by the enchanted river. He frowned we he realized her clothes were wet, she had been enchanted by the river, there were no doubts about it. What he was curious about was why and how a young girl came to be in Mirkwood at all, and how she got out of the water. The river made anyone who drinks or bathe in it fall into a deep slumber and _oblivion._ If she had fallen asleep in the river, and it did seem that way with her clothes all wet and her hair damp, it was a wonder the girl had not drowned.

Her hair, he noted, was unusually short for a girl. The dark locks were cut above her shoulders and as they dried they curled around her ears. Her white dress was also an oddity as it was ripped just above her knees showing her legs. He absently wondered if she had ripped it so that it would be easier to walk in.

She was still for a while, not standing up. He almost wanted to go to her and see if she was injured. It was not in his nature to ignore beings in need of help. Yet he knew that King Thranduil would not be happy if he brought with him a stranger, especially since he was not supposed to be outside the halls in the first place, back home. Maybe he could just follow her for a while and make sure she got out of the wood safely?

He sighed in defeat; it was not possible to venture through the forest with the time that was left of the day. That, and he could not possibly guide her safely through without being seen. Had she been and elf like him it would have been different, but she was not and dejected he realized that the chances of her surviving the night this close to the spiders' nests were close to zero. Her steps were careful and slow, and he could see she was in pain. His heart ached while he watched her. Surely the others would not blame him if he saved her; she was naught but a child! A child of man certainly, her rounded ears revealed as much, but still.

He continued to keep an eye on her and followed her as she walked by the river. He was pleased that she, unbeknownst to herself, was walking towards the elf-path. Maybe she would find the small hidden pathway of his people and perhaps be found by someone else of his kin. Yes, he decided, that would be the best course of action. He would make sure that the girl would be found and secured. Even if she at first would be seen as a threat they would surely discover she was none of the sort (or at least he hoped so) and she would be safe.

The elf was very careful to keep a safe distance between them, watching her back from afar behind trees. When she suddenly stopped he froze, what was she- oh, she was _undressing. _He averted his eyes. She was still a female after all, and he had been taught manners, despite popular beliefs.

It was at that very moment he saw something at the corner of his eyes –a spider.

He cursed under his breath. How long had that spider been in front of him, trailing her?! For a moment he really believed he deserved every name anyone had ever called him.

It was a small spider, only about 1 foot, but its venom was strong and he knew that the girl would not stand a chance with her small body.

Swiftly he took and arrow from his quiver and bent his bow. The spider crept closer to her and as she bent down to fetch her garment he released the arrow.

It went straight through the unknowing spider and flew on just above the girls head.

He was very pleased with himself until he realized the girl had noticed the arrow but not the spider, and was now running with all her might away from him.

They were so close to the pathway, what if she ran past it? Everything would be ruined! Quickly he put his bow over his shoulder and sprinted after her. She could not run very fast as her feet was in great pain, and she was limping, but he had kept a good distance and he almost lost her sometimes. In his head he cursed in both Sindarin and Westron when they passed the pathway and winced when he saw how she hurt her foot.

Suddenly she threw a look over her shoulder, and he almost thought she had seen him. Then, just as sudden as the glance, she plunged herself into the forest.

He almost cursed out loud this time; she was heading straight into the spiders' webs!

Stupid human, was she really worth risking his life for? Should he leave her to the spiders?

Groaning he knew it was not an option, he had scared her and if he had only approached her before she started walking they both would have been safe by now. He shuddered at the thought of how his people, and more importantly his king, would react when he revealed the human and his secret adventures. He did not look forward to it.

She slowed down and fell. Had it not been for the horror in her eyes and trembling body, he would have been relived. He stopped for a moment to think of what he should do next, he could hardly stay hidden anymore if he wanted to help her.

The answer was given to him when three spiders, two of them about 1 foot and the third almost 2 feet, approached her.

He had never heard a more horrified scream. In the blink of an eye he shot down the two smaller spiders and sprinted until he was shielding her with his dagger in hand. In a swift move he slashed its eyes and then proceeded with stabbing its body, the spider did not have much time to react but managed to slice the elf's left arm with one of its legs. Heated Elwion pushed the dagger deeper into the beast and when it twitched a few times he twisted the dagger until it was dead.

It was only a matter of time before more of them came, her scream would surely have been heard miles across the woodland. He hastily recovered his arrows and ignoring the girl's wide and terrified eyes (they were deep blue, but now was not the time for such observations) lifted her up with his right arm, carrying her, before running back to the pathway.

Thank Valar she was so small and feather light, she could not possible be taller than 5 feet.

He could feel she was petrified, not particularly strange seeing as she was hanging down a stranger's arm, but right now he did not have the time to be concerned about her mental state. The most important thing was that they stayed alive, and staying alive right now included finding the help of his kin.

Elwion Stumblefoot was indeed a bit clumsier than the average elf, but he had his heart in the right place and even though he did not know it, he had slain those spiders with such elegance and effectively that it would have made the most graceful elf back in the King's Halls jealous.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I usually don't make author's notes, but this one time I felt I wanted to apologize for the late update. I will graduate Upper Seconday School tomorrow (the Swedish equvalent to High School) and I'm sure you can imagine it's been a busy month. Also I have made a few changes to the earlier chapters, nothing too noticable so you don't have to reread them, but I felt I might as well mention it. Thanks for reading and feel free to review :D_**

* * *

It all happened so fast. You had seen those disgusting creatures appearing in front of you. You remember thinking that nothing should have that many eyes or legs. At first the scream had been stuck in your throat, in fact it had felt as if you had become stone for a brief moment, but then those wile creatures had clenched their jaws and the sound that escaped your mouth made you fall over again. Just as sudden as they had appeared arrows pierced two of them and their blood splattered on your face.

After that it was all a blur.

There had been a flash of light hair, the sound of a knife slashing, more blood and suddenly a short second of silence. Then, even before you could comprehend what had happened, an arm grabbed you by your waist and lifted you from the dirty ground.

You felt sick, but fear had you petrified.

Your eyes refused to focus, but sometimes you saw glimpses of multiply eyes and hairy black legs. Sometimes you heard the light haired being that carried you let out a gasp of pain. In your haze you could not decipher what had caused it, but it made your heart clench in horror. Every time he stumbled, only a little bit, you thought it would be your end and when he finally fell all hope was lost.

The being had sheltered you when he fell, putting all his weight on his arm instead of putting it on you. You were pressed underneath him and you realized with wide eyes that he was trying to protect you still.

His light blue eyes met yours and you felt his grief and terror.

It was a sudden understanding between the two of you. Both of you were filled with death fear yet in that moment when he clenched his jaw in despair and regret while holding you closer you just knew how lucky you were to have met someone like him. Your eyes hurt and again you felt how they leaked. This time you did not care, but simply closed them in acceptance. You could hear how the beasts were closing in; they were in no hurry anymore for their preys were defenseless now. With shaky arms you hugged your almost savior closer, trying to preserve a final moment of relative safety before death claimed you.


	6. Chapter 6

**_On no, another author's note! I'll just make it quick: I changed "Elwien" to "Elwion" because "ien" is female and Elwion is a a male elf, so I put the male "ion" at the end instead. Thank you for reading! _**

* * *

Beridhren Voronwe was one of the oldest and most experienced scouts and warriors in the woodland realm. In his life he had seen many things and faced many dangers, yet only a handful of those could compare to the icy horror that filled him when he saw the youngling of the King's Halls lying on the forest floor hurt and defenseless against a dozen spiders. They were slowly and gleefully surrounding Elwion's form and he realized, though it did little to lessen his dread, that the creatures had not noticed him and his band of scouts.

In less than a second he had jumped down from his post and let out a fierce whistle to signal the others. They had to hurry.

* * *

When Bereneth Beridhreniel heard her father- no, her _captain's _call, she had already noticed the spider's movements and had placed herself high up in a tree with good sight at the young one. She bent her bow with a swift movement prepared to shot anything that come close to him.

She forced her beating heart to calm and awaited her captain's battle signal – which usually was an arrow buried in the enemy's dead body.

* * *

Asgaron Lamenion and Thaleth Lameniel both knew their positions; to cover the left and right side of the assault on ground. Though before separating Thaleth still threw a quick and sharp look at her brother. Asgaron answered her small warning with rolling eyes, yet kept himself serious, he was not going to risk Elwion's life with his thirst for battle and was slightly annoyed that his sister still thought him incapable of understanding a serious situation when he was met with one. When she saw his response she offered him an apologetic smile before disappearing behind a tree and he hurried to also put himself in position.

This was not like other battles between them and Ungoliat's offspring, this was a rescue mission, and Asgaron would rather curse upon the Valar than let their youngest kin be murdered by those abominations.

With that in mind he followed his sister's example, though in the other direction, and prepared for combat.

* * *

He could scarcely believe it when he heard the whistle in the distant, a tiny shade of hope started to grow in his stomach. The girl was tucked underneath him and he swore that he would keep her safe until help came, even if he were to die in the process. His left arm was severely hurt and at one time while he was running a small spider had bit him and while its poison was weaker than a full grown spider it was still enough to make him fall in feebleness. Dispite this he still readied himself in case there was something he could do when the patrol made themselves rudely known to the enemies. His sight was however filled with black spots and he knew that he would not be awake for long.

Though even in this situation Elwion could not help but to realize, with much disenchantment, that this incident forever would pin him to the name Stumblefoot –if he survived that is. If it had not been for the fact that he was scared stiff by the coming threat he probably would have groaned and buried his face in the moss in embarrassment.


	7. Chapter 7

He tensed above you and you knew your time was up. You clenched his shirt even tighter and braced yourself for the incoming impact for you could hear how one of the bigger multi legged beasts rushed towards you.

It never came.

Instead you heard the whistling sound of an arrow and the surprised shriek of the monster before it fell hard on the ground next to you and your light rescuer.

You did not dare open your eyes, and still the sickening fear had your body in a tight grip, but in all of that despair you found a little glimpse of hope. It was so small and barely present, almost as if it was not from within yourself you found it at all, yet it was there now although you were hesitant to clench to it in case it was false and would cheat you out of a quick and painless death.

Soon however the air was filled with excruciating screeches and both horrified and confounded you heard how one by one the spiders dropped from their positions, in the trees and their webs, to the ground. Then the swift sounds of arrows souring came to an end and was switched with slashing and roars of anger.

You were not sure how long time had gone when suddenly everything became deathly silent.

The smell of the creatures' blood had filled the air and finally sickness took over. You panicked. Something disgusting pushed its way up your throat and you could not possibly swallow it and you could not breathe. Was this dying? So painful, so painful! You could not get up, your rescuer were still heavy above you and he did not budge. Was he dead? Terror struck you again and you tried to scream and kick an-…

The light being was all of a sudden off of you and by pure reflex you turned around to face the ground when another wave of sickness came over you. You let out a mixture of a shaky breath and a wince.

Soft and melodic voices were speaking around you in an unfamiliar tongue. You did not dare to move. Somehow you just _knew _one of them was highly concerned for you, and at the same time another, who was ridiculously similar yet different from the first one, was angry with you for some reason that was unknown. Then there was a third presence that was very displeased with the behavior of the first two and at last a forth who was highly relieved that your savior was going to be well.

The impressions were almost blinding but it was the fifth and final voice that snapped you back to reality, your light creature was speaking! He was not dead after all!

Joyous you turned around and immediately crawled towards him on your knees. You ignored the painful throbbing of your wounded foot and you did not even notice the others, not even the one tending to your rescuer, when you made your way towards him.

He was sitting uptight now though his left arm was soaked in blood which made you furrow your brows in concern when you reached him. With careful movements you shakily reached for him. You hugged his torso softly and rested your forehead on his chest. Involuntarily a small whimper escaped you.

You were still frightened and still did not know what to believe about anything, but when he shifted his healthy arm and carefully caressed your hair with his hand while whispering soft words of comfort in your ear you felt safer than you had for as long as you could remember.

You tried your hardest to ignore that your memory only went a few hours back.


	8. Chapter 8

They all stood still for a while when the battle was over and sharpened their senses to make sure there was no more spiders close by. That's when they heard the choking noises coming from the young elf in the middle of the circle they had created while fighting, or rather, from _underneath_ him.

The elves' heads all turned quickly at the sound, but it was Beridhren who moved first when the noise turned to panicked shrieks. Carefully yet swiftly he grabbed Elwion and lifted him from the ground. Beridhren was the only one whose eyes did not widen in shock as a small girl appeared in front of them, shaking in fear and nausea.

Beridhren gave Bereneth a silent nod and then turned his focus on Elwion and the youngling's injuries. The elf received her father's message and let her eyes fall on the girl.

She was breathing heavily, facing the forest floor, and did not seem to be a threat. Her white dress was ripped and quite frankly not very white anymore. Bereneth furrowed her brows, what was a child of man, a girl in particular, doing in Mirkwood? Something was not as it should.

"She might be hurt", Taleth voiced with concern, lowering her sword, "should we not aid her?"

"Let her be hurt! Why should we help her?" Asgaron snarled in anger, "do you not see sister, it is because of her Elwion was hunted!"

Taleth shot her brother a piercing glare, "she is a child, Asgaron, do not be too quick to pass judgment."

Her brother smiled scornfully "she is a child of men_, __Miluithel,_ Elwion's life is worth a hundred of her kind!"

Taleth looked well ready to slap him.

"That is enough!" both siblings turned their heads at Bereneth hard command, her grey eyes were sharp and Asgaron dropped his enraged gaze to the ground with an angry 'tch'. "The captain has tended to him; he is not in any danger". At her words Asgaron hastily turned around and true enough Elwion seemed to be waking up in the arms of their captain. At the same time Taleth on met Bereneth's look calmly and wordlessly Bereneth gave her permission to approach the little one. Though before she could move they heard a soft voice and stilled.

"She… is not a threat… please", it was Elwion who struggled to sit up straight "I found her… by… the enchanted river… could not… leave her to the spiders…"

"Do not speak, youngling", Beridhren said and supported his back when he tried to sit, "you will be well, but-…"

He stopped mid-sentenced when the girl stirred in their direction.

Taleth silently stopped Asgaron from interfering when the little one hastily crawled towards Elwion with an almost desperate expression, and Taleth winced on the inside when she saw the girl's damaged foot. The girl however did not seem to take notice to anyone but the youngest elf and the others, even Asgaron, watched in puzzlement as she embraced him.

Elwion knew he would have to explain everything soon, but until then he simply closed his eyes wearily and stroked her hair softly with his undamaged hand, "you are safe now… little one", he cooed softly, "you needn't be frightened… anymore."

Bereneth let herself soften at the sight and sighed, but when she turned to her father she knew something was amiss. He was staring intensely at the girl and he was deeply troubled by something. The siblings would surely not notice Beridhren's inner turmoil, but Bereneth was his daughter, and she knew her father as well as she knew herself and even though he looked unaffected by the girl she could tell by the small, almost unnoticeable crease between his eyes that he was deeply perplexed and somewhat troubled. He did however not give her the slightest hint that the issue should be addressed and therefore she decided she would ask him later what exactly was on his mind. Bereneth knew to trust her father's judgment, and he did not deem the girl to be a threat and neither did she, but his reaction made her straighten up and stay alert. You could never be too sure after all.

With that in mind she silently watched as her father helped Elwion to his feet and how the girl insistently held on to him. She had shifted her arms and were now holding him around his neck and wrapping her legs around his torso. Elwion flinched slightly when he finally stood up, but refused to let the girl go when Beridhren offered to take her. Instead he held her closer with his right arm and proceeded carrying her when they started to walk.

Asgaron was furious of course, but Taleth held him in line, "it is not your concern, brother", she had whispered quietly in his ear, "Elwion chose to save her, which was right of him for we have never been taught to ignore those in need, and he even though he is young he is no fool."

This made Asgaron snort, but he refrained from speaking.

The journey back to the King's Halls was a quiet journey indeed after that. The girl kept her head tucked in Elwion's neck, Elwion carried her while miserably looking on the ground, Beridhren stayed close to him in case he needed support and Bereneth held a close eye on the girl. None of the siblings felt like speaking either, but Asgaron sometimes threw a dirty look that the girl's curly head though be stopped after a while when he realized she did not see them anyway. Then he simply ignored her existence all together and continued walking with an expressionless face just like the others.


	9. Chapter 9

As the fear started to subside you relaxed in your rescuer's embrace. Your foot was throbbing rather painfully, but you were too drained to care. You could not even bring yourself to care, although you did have a slight unsettled feeling somewhere deep in your stomach, that you had no idea where these beings were taking you. A part of you wearily figured anything would be better than with the monsters or the water.

Exhaustion took fully hold of you and you where lulled to sleep by the sound of drizzling leaves and the soft movements of the one carrying you.

* * *

_She was running barefoot swiftly between the thin trees, a joyous grin on her face. Her dark long dark hair was flying behind her sometimes catching leaves and flowers in it. Her dress consisted in several layers of a thin white fabric that danced around her as she ran. You could not see her face clearly, only that grin, but it made you happy somehow, the whole scenario._

_It felt so familiar, so safe… the endless green leaves above you and the singing birds, so impossibly familiar it almost ached…_

* * *

Your eyes snapped open when you heard melodic voices again and even more so than before. Carefully you lifted your a head a little to gaze over the shoulder you had rested your head on. You were still in the forest, but this part seemed to be much brighter and peaceful than the one you remember. It made your heart ease a little bit and you dared to look for the owners of the beautiful voices.

At first you only saw three of those from earlier and you took your time to observe them a little bit, though you tried to do this cautiously.

The one closest to you had brown hair, a bit too dark to be called hazelnut, which was pulled in a long braid you could not see clearly because it fell behind her back. As if she had felt you watch her she shifted her gaze and met your eyes. You would have cowered back, but she did not seem angry or even the slightest annoyed at catching you staring, so you simply continued to study her. They were almost like your rescuer's sky blue eyes, but hers were lighter and almost a little grey. Her clothes and pretty much the others' clothes as well, though with small variation, almost melted with the forest. They had earthly colors, darker shades of brown and green, and were shaped in a manner that reminded you of tree stems and most of all different kinds of leaves.

You turned you attention to the two further away. They were remarkably similar in looks, with their auburn hair and identical height, though one was female and the other male. You ducked a little bit when you were met with a fierce glare from the male, but had to suppress a small giggle when the female took hold of one of the thin braids that fell in front of his ear, and pulled it. He scowled angrily at her, but she simply gave him a warning glace before letting go of his hair. Then she turned to you and smiled kindly, and you suddenly felt a little shy. The male rolled his eyes and then still looked at you as if he had eaten something sour. You decided he was not a very nice person.

That is when you turned you attention to the voices again. They did not come from any of the three behind you, or the one holding you, and it did confound you a bit. Until you realized they were coming from the trees.

Your eyes snapped wide open and indeed, there, both above grounds in the trees and behind them, you could make out hidden figures. They were speaking to each other yet it felt as if their eyes were fixed on you. Were they speaking of you? Giggles and whispers echoed softly between the trees and the more you glanced into the woods the more movements and shapes you could distinguish. What were these beings?

In your fascination you had not noticed the sound of water running strongly, nor how you had stopped, until you were suddenly turned to face your carrier. You blinked a few times when you met his light blue eyes yet again. He said something unfamiliar to you and nodded his head towards something you had to turn a bit to see…-

The sight made you reflexively squeak and clutch him tighter.

There in front of you was a thin stone bridge with no railing and a strong current running far below it. Were you going to have to pass over _that?! _Oh no, you_ refuse! _

He tried to calm you down, you think, but you were quite busy making sure he could not take you over that horrifying death trap by letting go of his torso and clinging to his legs. Immediately the fifth being, the one you had not seen before since he was walking in front of you instead of behind, hunched down and touched you lightly on your shoulders, as to still you. Also the not-very-nice person came and supported your carrier so he would not fall while you so insistently refused to let of his legs.

When the fifth one spoke to you however, you stopped struggling. He looked kindly at you, and said something while gesturing for you to look up and you did. Guilt crept up inside of you when you realized your friend's arm was awfully injured and you remembered the moment you almost had though he was dead. Regretfully you met the fifth's grey eyes, he did not look angry much to your relief, and let go of the legs. However, you still had no intention what so ever to pass that poor excuse for a bridge and you crawled as far away from it as you dared with obvious displeasure.

They spoke amongst themselves a few lines and even though you did not understand what they were saying, it became quite clear that your blonde friend was going first as the female with the long braid took over from the not-so-nice person and led your blonde over the bridge. You were horrified of the fact that he had carried you all that way; you had even fallen asleep, when he obviously was in a very bad condition, though those thoughts were quickly shoved away when the fifth looked at you expectantly.

_Uh oh, no way, you did not agree to this. _

He sighed and again hunched down in front of you, speaking softly and also glancing at your almost ripped toenails. You scowled; you did not even understand it, why did they think a little singingly-talk would make matters better?

At you response he turned to the red haired female, who did seem very nice, said something to her and then stood up and walked hastily walked over _it. _Now when you took a closer look as to what was on the other side of the bridge, you could see an enormous stone gate leading into… the ground? Well, it did not matter, you were not getting there. Anyway, you looked very suspiciously at the nice person when she sat down in front of you.

She had a very nice smile, you decided, and you also decided she indeed was a very nice person when she let her own cape fall on your shoulder. You had not even noticed the air had grown chilly until you got warm again, but then she nodded at the bridge and then held out her arms. You almost wanted to cry when you wildly shook your head, you did not want to! She spoke then and tried to soothe you by lightly stoking your cheek and making you look into her eyes; they were strikingly green, but not nearly enough to make you change your name. She had patience though; you absently wondered if that was why the fifth had left you to her. You were inclined to trust her, but you did not think any amount of trust would make you willingly…-

An impatient growl was heard behind you, and before either you or the very-nice person could react you were hurled from the ground and shipped to the bridge. You screamed and you kicked but the not-so-very-nice person, whom you now named the horrible _creature, _simply led on and even laughed as he did so. In the middle of the thin trail he lifted you higher and threw you…- you were going to die, you were certain of it. The fear was painful and your voice was stuck in your throat, you barely registered when he caught you again and even had the nerve to look smug at your apparent distress.

He held with both his arms, you reflexively wrapping your short legs around his waist holding his shoulders in an iron grip, but as soon as you returned to your senses, or at least half of them, you immediately kicked and hit him as hard as you could, as many times as you could. You anger and frustration only grew as he laughed, your effort having no effect on a strong warrior such as he. Tears started to gather in your eyes.

Then the very-kind person came, but she did not look very kind anymore, fire glazing in her eyes. Her voice was dangerous as she spoke and when she hit him over the head, it _hurt._ Instantly she turned to you, with a compassionate expression and you gratefully let her scope you in her arms. Then she turned to the horrible creature again, growled, and while he was still rubbing his head she took hold of his bow and in one swift motion tripped him off his feet and dropped the bow on top of his fallen form.

You smiled in triumph and hugged the very-very-nice lady closer. She looked at you fondly before walking through the gate with you. What also made it sweeter was the giggles and laughter heard from the others in the woods and even by the guards by the gate.

Perhaps this day was not so horrible after all!

* * *

**Author's note: I present to you the longest you-POV chapter I have written! Yay! I find them hardest to write, there's so much you dont know D: And yes, Asgaron is a total douche and bully, I want to kick him. Good thing Taleth knows how to deal with him!  
**

**Thank you so much for reading and feel free to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

He liked Elwion; he really did, kind of, but no matter what his sister said Asgaron still thought the young elf was a fool.

First and foremost one does not venture alone in Mirkwood, simple. It is the height of foolishness to sneak out first from the King's Halls and then past the boarders of their settlement, without even telling anyone. It is common sense for goodness sake! Also, what was he thinking risking his life for a mortal? They were going to die anyway; it would hardly matter if one of them met her inevitable fate sooner than later.

He resisted the urge to snort when his captain hunched down in front of the pathetic little girl trying to convince her to pass the bridge. In his opinion she was hardly worth it, clinging to Elwion's legs like a parasite, he did not understand why they did not simply knock her out and spare themselves the trouble.

When she finally did let go and crawled away from the edge he did not even bother to hide his distain. She was an utterly pitiful creature, and filthy, on top of that.

"Bereneth, take Elwion to the healers", Asgaron was snapped out of his musings at his captains command and gently passed Elwion over to Bereneth's secure hands. Elwion hardly acknowledged the change but let her lead him over to the other side in silence.

Annoyed he watched as Beridhren once again kneeled down in front of the girl, trying to soothe her into cooperation. "We can carry you over, little one, you need not further your injury by walking", he said softly, only to have her scowl in response. It took Asgaron much restraint not to growl in anger: what an ungrateful_ brat_.

Sighing in defeat his captain stood up and turned to the other female in the company, "Taleth, when she calms, tend to her injuries," he said, "and prepare her for an audience with the king in the evening."

_For the love of all that is good! _His fingers twitched with the need to hit something, his sister was a warrior and was not meant to serve a mere mortal like some sort of hand-maiden. Surely even she would have some objection to _that._

Taleth did not object however but simply gave her captain a nod accompanied with a small smile before turning her attention to the figure on the ground. Of course she did not object, Asgaron thought sourly, his sweet sister was a gentle soul and enjoyed to serve others, but it was wrong of Beridhren to take advantage of it.

After the old warrior had disappeared into the King's Halls he crossed his arms and glanced at the scene of his sister and the girl. The small wild child had calmed down considerable, which was only natural seeing Taleth's friendly nature, but still only shook her head frantically when offered to carry her.

That was the final straw.

Growling he took a few steps forward grabbed the girl and went for the bridge. Her obvious distress made him smirk in amusement. She had ruined his day after all; she might as well make up for it with some entertainment.

"We are a strong race, little wild child; we would never drop anything on accidents!" He laughed, "see, I could even throw you up like this…" her scream was like birdsong in his ears, "and then catch you just as easily, that was not so bad, was it?"

Her reaction made him laugh louder and he did not even mind that she held him in such an iron grip. He found it most amusing that the little wildling seemingly had lost all of her earlier resolve and smirked down at her as she started to regain her senses. It was ridiculous how weak her punches were and he would have found it almost adorable had she not been of the race of men.

Unfortunately for him, Taleth did not agree with him.

"Asagron Lamenion, have you no shame?" her voice was cold and he barely had the time to react before she swiftly slapped the back of his head, hard. "She is an innocent child for goodness sake!"

Grimacing he rubbed his head when the girl disappeared from his arms, and within the same second he felt as the ground vanished under his feet and he fell helplessly to the ground. Growling he prepared to stand up again only to be hit by his bow, _his own bow_. This time he did not bother to stand up until he saw his sister's form retreat into the Halls. Ignoring the giggles and laughter around him he collected his bow and eyed the sniggering guard on the left side of the gate.

"Do you have anything to say to me, Malgelir?" He asked, eyes narrowing, "You seem to be awfully amused at my expense."

The guard pressed his lips together trying to contain himself but failed miserable and was soon laughing loudly bending over to catch his breath. Asgaron rolled his eyes at the sudden reaction.

"No offence my friend, but your sister is a force to be reckoned with", Malgelir removed his helmet to wipe the tears from his eyes, golden hair falling down his shoulder, "and deserve it you did, I do not know how you came to find her but she is terribly cute that little forest creature!"

"She is most certainly not _cute_!" Asgaron cringed at the word, and spat down the next sentence, "that little wildling is a daughter of men, and one Elwion almost _died _because of."

"Ah, yes, Elwion," the guard seemed lost in thought, "who would have guessed our very own Stumblefoot would have figured out how to sneak out undetected, perhaps we should call him Sneakyfoot instead… wait, no, that sounded stupid…"

The red-head pinched the bridge of his nose at his friend's comment, "yes that sounded very stupid."

Malgelir struggled to look offended but when met with Asgarons raised eyebrows he started to laugh again. "Do not be worried my friend! Elwion will be fine; the venom just needs to wear off!"

He sighed and once again rubbed the back of his head Taleth had hit, "I know Malgelir, but I do not want any of us to die because of anything _mortal." _

The guard lost his smile at his friend's statement, "no harm done this time Asgaron, now go and wash yourself up, I imagine the king will want all of you present later."

"I am sure he will," he sighed, "I will see you afterwards."

Flashing him a bright smile the blonde nodded in agreement and Asgaron even offered a little smile in return before walking through the gates. When he heard the great stone doors close behind him he stood still for a while, sighed one last time and then started to walk towards the bathing room. Then he stopped again, face palmed, and turned around. He needed to fetch fresh clothes from his and Taleth's room first, and he dryly suspected that's where both she and that wild child were.

This day was just getting worse and worse by every second.


	11. Chapter 11

"You really do not understand the common tongue, do you?" Taleth pondered while carefully placing the girl on one of the chairs in the room, "how odd in this part of the world, I wonder who you are."

She knew the words she spoke were very true: the girl was odd, in more ways than her lack of speech, which_ could_ after all just be an effect of the river. The small figure in front of her had an unnatural perception now that she was calm and when Taleth meet her eyes she did not look away until Taleth did. It was odd indeed. Usually one would not stare into the eyes of another that long with neither hostility nor fondness, but this girl did. With a neutral yet somewhat curious expression she followed the elf-maiden's every move.

"It is a good thing you are so little, you will fit well in our washing tub," she smiled, "we use it to wash our clothes mostly, but when we were as little as you our mother used to bathe me and my brother in it."

The girl did not change her expression at her words, but tilted her head a bit when Taleth took forth the washing tub and filled it with water from one of the two buckets given to her on their way to the room. Then she pulled out a bottle of soap and poured it into the lukewarm water and then proceeded by emptying half the second bucket into the tub as well. She watched in amusement how the girl's eyes widened when bubbles started to form.

"Here, come," she took the girl's feet and carefully placed them in water, and looked up to see if she was alright. When it was clear that she was not going to withdraw her feet despite the injury Taleth lifted her up and made her stand up in the tub, it reached her knees. "there you go! Now we just have to get you out of that dress," she gestured for the girl to lift up her arms and when she did the elleth took hold of the end of the dress and pulled it over the girl's head.

"So there, I will help you sit little one", she helped the girl sit down without putting too much pressure on her foot. Their eyes meet again when the child was seated and Taleth paused and watched her.

"Your eyes are the deepest shade of blue I have ever seen in a living being", she said after a while, "many elves have eyes like the sky or the sea, but yours are neither…"

Breaking the eye contact Taleth moved behind the girl and seized a sponge while she did. In turn the girl crooked her neck to see what the elf was doing but soon turned back when she was offered a smile of reassurance. Taleth dipped the sponge in the water and tenderly started to clean the various cuts and bruises that could be found.

"They are more of the earth, like sapphire", Taleth mused on while scooping water on the small shoulders in front of her and moving on to the short hair, "I believe so, your eyes looks just like the bluest sapphire in the King's collection."

"Whenever did you see the King's collection, if I may ask?" Taleth did not need to look up to see Asgaron by the doorframe.

"That, dear brother, does not concern you", she replied, ignoring the glaring contest between the little child and her younger brother, "but since you asked so nicely it was a long time ago when Legolas and I played hide and seek as elflings, you were not born at the time I am afraid."

Asgaron did not bother to give a reply immediately but finally broke his eye contact with the girl in tub by rolling his eyes and staggered through the room to his closet. There he quickly removed his leather armor and then grabbed a few garments and a towel.

"Oh yes, you and Legolas as elflings, I should have guessed," his voice was dry, "well, I am off to the bathing room now and hopefully that creature is not in our room when I get back."

Taleth shot him a glare, "she is not a mindless creature Asgaron, stop addressing her as such."

"I will address her in any way I wish", he snarled opening the door to exit, "I will certainly not treat her like a precious elfling like the rest of you, she is a _mortal_ for Valar's sake!"

"She is a child, and undeserving of your distain", Taleth bit back while putting balm in said child's hair, "go and clean yourself up, she will stay here until I am done whether it be before or after you are."

Asgaron opened his mouth to shot something back at his sister but at the last second he bit his tongue and instead passed one last dirty look at the girl before shutting the door with a bang.

The elf-maiden scoffed at the reaction, "over 700 years and still behave worse than a child on a bad day, Elbereth be kind."

A spluttering sound made her look down at her hands and she gasped in little horror: the girl was not even visible anymore under the thick layer of bubbles and foam.

"Oh my, my apologies little one!" she laughed and quickly yet cautiously lifted the little one to her feet and poured the last remaining water in the second bucket over her head, washing away the foam and balm. "There you are again, oh do not give me that look, you are nice and clean now! Let's get you all dried up so I can bandage that foot of yours."

Now that she was clean it became obvious she was a very beautiful child, not only by mortal standard. Her skin was as fine as porcelain and the contrast of her light skin and dark silky hair brought forth her eyes even more so than before. Taleth silently realized that the child in front her even was in pair with an elfling, something she never would have believed had she not seen it herself.

"You are a mystery, Litte one", she said at last, watching as the child in front of her sat on the side of the bed wrapped in a towel too big for her. "I would like to have a name for you, do you have a name?"

The girl did not answer but blinked a few times in what looked like confusion.

The elf however did not give up, keeling down until she was in the same eye-level as the girl, "I'm Taleth", and she gestured at herself, "Ta-leth, Taleth."

Once again the girl only blinked, and Taleth sighed in defeat. "I better tend to that foot of yours then."

She stood up, opened a drawer and pulled out some bandages, scissors and a wooden box with salve.

"Ta-leth"

Taleth jerked in surprise and turned around, had she imagined it?

The girl looked up to her questionably, "Ta-leth, Taleth?"

"Yes little one, Taleth!" Taleth smiled happily hurrying back to the girl's side, "me, Taleth," she pointed at herself, "you…?" she pointed at the girl.

"Taleth", the girl repeated again and placed a small hand on the elf, but then fell silent when she moved that hand to her own chest. "Ah…" her gaze fell in disappointment.

"It is alright little one, we will find out who you are eventually", Taleth stated, gently taking the girls chin lifting her head and smiled, "and if you still do not remember we will give you a new name."

While she knew the girl hardly could understand everything she was saying it seemed as if her words still had a calming effect. With that Taleth resumed her attention to girl's injuries. Most of the bruises and scratches were shallow and did not need any medical attention but then there was the foot. A few toenails were ripped but luckily it was one of those injuries that hurt more than they harmed and it had stopped bleeding even before they reached the elven settlement. She took the scissors and carefully cut the toenails that only were held by a tiny bit in the corner. The girl twitched a little bit and winced but otherwise did not seem to be in too much pain. When she was done Taleth put down the scissors and gently applied a generous amount the salve to the exposed skin. It made the girl whimper but otherwise she stayed still.

"It is to prevent infection", she hummed when she was finished, "I will not bandage it, but let it breathe. It will heal faster that way."

She walked to her closet and thoughtfully collected a green silk tunic, "I supposed this will have to do, though I would have preferred a blue one for you."

The girl's eyes immediately lit up when the tunic was passed to her, though it did look more like a dress on her, and she pulled it over her head instantly. Standing up it reached below her knees.

Taleth observed her seemingly in deep thought, "you need leggings but I am not sure if… wait, maybe…"

Curious the girl followed the elf's steps to Asgaron's closet. It was not as neat and tidy as Taleth's but after some digging she finally found what she was looking for; a small fabric package. She placed it on her brother's bed and unfolded it revealing a child sized tunic also in green and a pair of matching leggings.

"This is absolutely perfect!" She smiled happily and helped the girl step into the leggings without touching the injured area. "Look at you!"

An odd feeling of warmth filled Taleth as the girl gave her a big smile and even laughed. It was the first time she had done so, and what a wonderful sound it was, but it was soon exchanged with a wide yawn.

Taleth smiled softly and reached to pick her up. The girl met her halfway and let the elf-maiden carry her to the other bed. "Sleep for a while, little one," she whispered, covering the little figure with a blanket, "rest and forget all the horrors of this world."

It did not take long until the child's breath became even and she was sound asleep. Removing a strand of damp hair from the sleeping's face Taleth let out a breath she did not know she was holding and then stood up and started to clean up the room.

This day was certainly becoming very interesting.

* * *

**A/N: Just so you won't lose hope: Thranduil will soon make an appearance!**


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